Microsoft planning a bigger retail push for Surface

One of the biggest problems facing the Microsoft Surface RT is the fact that there are only two ways to obtain one. Currently they can be bought at Microsoft retail stores, or if you’re unlucky enough to not live near one of these locations, then you can purchase one online. However, it seems as though Microsoft may give up the Surface exclusivity for its Microsoft Stores by putting it in more retail locations like Best Buy or even Walmart.

Wider availability during the holiday season means more people will be exposed to the Surface, which is always a good thing. Of course, this may have been Microsoft’s plan all along and it’s only now being sped up due to the tepid sales of the Surface RT. Do you think more exposure among retail locations will help the Surface sell better?

I am just surprised that they have refused to launch it in other stores. As a europeen it is very difficult to get one (northern europe, Norway). No microsoft stores and the online store does not have RT in stock. Microsoft should know by now that they cannot keep it exclusive in MS stores. People can go “anywhere” and by a tablet. If microsoft wants more surface users they need to get it out to the people.

nightscout13

How about you get rid of RT, and give all WIndows 8 Tablets x86 functionality.

Edgar Cervantes

Exposure will definitely help. Take Chromebooks as an example: they are not very functional and very few people bought them before. Now that Best Buy carries them I am seeing stores run out of them relatively soon. People are just more likely to buy devices if they can check them out.

I agree with this. While I’d seen plenty of Chromebooks online, I just recently saw some on display at Best Buy and was able to play around with them. That’s a huge boon for such devices, allowing people to actually play with them. With tablets and laptops especially, people like to see exactly how big a device is so they can imagine utilizing one in their own life.